South Korea is seeking to enhance its "special strategic partnership" with India, which it describes as a leading regional partner with shared values in its newly released Indo-Pacific strategy.
The move reflects an effort by Seoul to diversify its relations in the region and maintain a balance between its largest trade partner, China, and its strategic partners, including India, Japan, and Australia, among others.
"India presents great potential for growth, having the world’s second largest population and cutting-edge IT and space technologies. We will increase strategic communication and cooperation through high-level exchanges in foreign affairs and defense," the document reads.
South Korea is also seeking to enhance economic cooperation with India by upgrading the ROK-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
Describing China as a “key partner,” the 43-page document, titled the “Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region,” asserted that Seoul “will nurture a sounder and more mature relationship as we pursue shared interests based on mutual respect and reciprocity, guided by international norms and rules.”
In addition, the report stated that South Korea plans to "gradually expand" its cooperation with the Quad, a group comprising Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, which is perceived as a counterbalance to China's assertiveness in the region.